Frequency and polarization reconfigurable antenna systems

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and methods for reconfigurable antenna systems are provided herein. In certain configurations, an antenna system includes an antenna element, a tuning conductor adjacent to and spaced apart from the antenna element, and a switch electrically connected between the tuning conductor and a reference voltage, such as ground. The tuning conductor is operable to load the antenna element, and the switch selectively connects the tuning conductor to the reference voltage to provide tuning to the antenna element.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/834,468, filed Dec. 7, 2017 and titled “FREQUENCY AND POLARIZATIONRECONFIGURABLE ANTENNA SYSTEMS” which claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. § 119 of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/512,958, filed May 31, 2017 and titled “FREQUENCY AND POLARIZATIONRECONFIGURABLE PATCH ANTENNA,” and U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/432,839, filed Dec. 12, 2016 and titled “FREQUENCY ANDPOLARIZATION RECONFIGURABLE PATCH ANTENNA,” each of which is hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

Embodiments of the invention relate to electronic systems, and inparticular, to radio frequency (RF) electronics.

Description of Related Technology

A radio frequency (RF) communication system can include a transceiver, afront end, and one or more antennas for wirelessly transmitting andreceiving signals. The front end can include low noise amplifier(s) foramplifying signals received via the antenna(s), and power amplifier(s)for boosting signals for transmission via the antenna(s).

Examples of RF communication systems include, but are not limited to,mobile phones, tablets, base stations (including macro cell basestations and small cell base stations), network access points,customer-premises equipment (CPE), laptops, and wearable electronics.

SUMMARY

In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a radiofrequency module. The radio frequency module includes a modulesubstrate, an antenna element on the module substrate, a tuningconductor on the module substrate and adjacent to and spaced apart fromthe antenna element, and a switch electrically connected between thetuning conductor and a ground voltage. The tuning conductor is operableto load the antenna element, and the switch is operable to selectivelyconnect the tuning conductor to the ground voltage to control an antennacharacteristic of the antenna element.

In some embodiments, a state of the switch is operable to tune abandwidth of the antenna element.

In various embodiments, a state of the switch is operable to steer adirection of polarization of the antenna element.

In a number of embodiments, the radio frequency module further includesa semiconductor die attached to the module substrate and including theswitch.

In accordance with several embodiments, the radio frequency modulefurther includes at least two tuning conductors positioned alongdifferent sides of the antenna element, the at least two tuningconductors including the tuning conductor.

According to some embodiments, the antenna element includes a signalfeed and a ground feed, and the radio frequency module further includesa ground switch operable to selectively connect the ground feed to theground voltage.

In various embodiments, the module substrate is a laminate and theswitch is integrated in an internal layer of the laminate.

In a number of embodiments, the radio frequency module further includestwo or more antenna elements loaded by the tuning conductor, the two ormore antenna elements including the antenna element.

In accordance with some embodiments, the switch is operable to controlthe tuning conductor with the ground voltage in a first state and toelectrically float the tuning conductor in a second state.

In several embodiments, the antenna element is a patch antenna, adipolar antenna, a ceramic resonator, a stamped metal antenna, or alaser direct structuring antenna.

In a number of embodiments, the antenna element includes at least onefin extending from a surface of the module substrate. In variousembodiments, the tuning conductor includes at least one fin extendingfrom the surface of the module substrate.

In some embodiments, the antenna element is formed over encapsulation.

In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to acommunication device for a wireless network. The communication deviceincludes an antenna element, a transceiver configured to controlwireless communications associated with the antenna element, a tuningconductor adjacent to and spaced apart from the antenna element, and aswitch electrically connected between the tuning conductor and a groundvoltage. The tuning conductor is operable to load the antenna element,and the switch is operable to selectively connect the tuning conductorto the ground voltage to control an antenna characteristic of theantenna element.

In various embodiments, a state of the switch is operable to tune abandwidth of the antenna element.

In several embodiments, a state of the switch is operable to steer adirection of polarization of the antenna element.

In a number of embodiments, the antenna element includes a signal feedand a ground feed, and the radio frequency module further includes aground switch operable to selectively connect the ground feed to theground voltage.

In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a base stationfor a cellular network. The base station includes a circuit board, anantenna element formed on the circuit board, a tuning conductor formedon the circuit board and adjacent to and spaced apart from the antennaelement, and a switch electrically connected between the tuningconductor and a ground voltage. The tuning conductor is operable to loadthe antenna element, and the switch is operable to selectively connectthe tuning conductor to the ground voltage to control an antennacharacteristic of the antenna element.

In some embodiments, the antenna element includes a signal feed and aground feed, and the radio frequency module further includes a groundswitch operable to selectively connect the ground feed to the groundvoltage.

In various embodiments, a state of the switch is operable to tune abandwidth of the antenna element.

In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a radiofrequency module. The radio frequency module includes a modulesubstrate, a first antenna element on a first side of the modulesubstrate, a first tuning conductor adjacent to and spaced apart fromthe first antenna element on the first side of the module substrate, thefirst tuning conductor operable to load the first antenna element, and afirst switch electrically connected between the first tuning conductorand a ground voltage. The first switch is operable to selectivelyconnect the first tuning conductor to the ground voltage to providetuning to the first antenna element.

In some embodiments, a state of the first switch is operable to tune abandwidth of the first antenna element.

In several embodiments, a state of the first switch is operable to steera direction of polarization of the first antenna element.

In a number of embodiments, the radio frequency module further includesa semiconductor die attached to the module substrate. In accordance withseveral embodiments, the semiconductor die is embedded in an internallayer of the module substrate. According to various embodiments,semiconductor die is on a second side of the module substrate oppositethe first side. In accordance with certain embodiments, thesemiconductor die includes the first switch. According to severalembodiments, semiconductor die controls a state of the first switch. Inaccordance with various embodiments, the semiconductor die includes aninterface that receives switch data operable to select the state of thefirst switch.

In some embodiments, the radio frequency module further includes aplurality of tuning conductors including the first tuning conductor anda second tuning conductor. According to a number of embodiments, thefirst tuning conductor is positioned along a first side of the firstantenna element and the second tuning conductor is positioned along asecond side of the first antenna element different from the first sideand operable to load the first antenna element. In accordance withseveral embodiments, the plurality of tuning conductors includes atleast four tuning conductors positioned along four or more differentsides of the first antenna element and operable to load the firstantenna element. According to various embodiments, the radio frequencymodule further includes a second antenna element on the first side ofthe module substrate adjacent to the first antenna element, the secondtuning conductor operable to load the second antenna element.

In several embodiments, the first antenna element includes a signal feedand a ground feed, the radio frequency module further comprising aground switch operable to selectively connect the ground feed to theground voltage.

In a number of embodiments, the module substrate is a laminate.According to several embodiments, the first switch is integrated in aninternal layer of the laminate.

In various embodiments, the module substrate includes a via operable toprovide the ground voltage to the first switch.

According to several embodiments, the first antenna element isconfigured to receive radio waves.

In accordance with a number of embodiments, the first antenna element isconfigured to transmit radio waves.

In some embodiments, the first antenna element is configured to bothtransmit and receive radio waves.

In several embodiments, the radio frequency module further includes asecond antenna element on the first side of the module substrateadjacent to the first antenna element. According to a number ofembodiments, the first tuning conductor is adjacent to and spaced apartfrom the second antenna element and is operable to load the secondantenna element.

In various embodiments, the first switch is operable to ground the firsttuning conductor in a first state and to electrically float the firsttuning conductor in a second state.

In some embodiments, the first switch is a field-effect transistorswitch.

According to a number of embodiments, the first antenna element is apatch antenna, a dipolar antenna, a ceramic resonator, a stamped metalantenna, or a laser direct structuring antenna.

In several embodiments, the first antenna element includes at least onefin extending from a surface of the module substrate. In accordance withvarious embodiments, the first tuning conductor includes at least onefin extending from the surface of the module substrate.

In some embodiments, the first antenna element is formed overencapsulation that is between the first antenna element and the modulesubstrate.

In a number of embodiments, the radio frequency module further includesan antenna array on the first side of the module substrate and includinga plurality of antenna elements including the first antenna element. Inaccordance with several embodiments, the antenna array is operable toprovide beamforming. According to various embodiments, the antenna arrayis operable to provide multi-input and multiple output communications.

In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to acommunication device for operating as user equipment in a cellularnetwork. The communication device includes a first antenna element, afirst tuning conductor adjacent to and spaced apart from the firstantenna element, and a first switch electrically connected between thefirst tuning conductor and a ground voltage. The first tuning conductoris operable to load the first antenna element, and the first switch isoperable to selectively connect the first tuning conductor to the groundvoltage to provide tuning to the first antenna element.

In some embodiments, a state of the first switch is operable to tune abandwidth of the first antenna element.

In several embodiments, a state of the first switch is operable to steera direction of polarization of the first antenna element.

In a number of embodiments, the communication device further includes asemiconductor die. In accordance with various embodiments, thesemiconductor die includes the first switch. According to certainembodiments, the semiconductor die controls a state of the first switch.In accordance with several embodiments, the semiconductor die includesan interface that receives switch data operable to select the state ofthe first switch.

In some embodiments, the communication device further includes aplurality of tuning conductors including the first tuning conductor anda second tuning conductor. In accordance with a number of embodiments,the first tuning conductor is positioned along a first side of the firstantenna element and the second tuning conductor is positioned along asecond side of the first antenna element different from the first sideand operable to load the first antenna element. According to severalembodiments, the plurality of tuning conductors includes at least fourtuning conductors positioned along four or more different sides of thefirst antenna element and operable to load the first antenna element. Inaccordance with a number of embodiments, the communication devicefurther includes a second antenna element, the second tuning conductoroperable to load the second antenna element.

In various embodiments, the first antenna element includes a signal feedand a ground feed, the radio frequency module further including a groundswitch operable to selectively connect the ground feed to the groundvoltage.

In a number of embodiments, the communication device further includes afront end system and a transceiver electrically coupled to the firstantenna element via the front end system. In accordance with severalembodiments, the front end system further includes a power amplifierconfigured to provide a transmit radio frequency signal to the firstantenna element. According to various embodiments, the front end systemfurther includes a low noise amplifier configured to amplify a radiofrequency signal received from the first antenna element.

In some embodiments, the communication device further includes a secondantenna element adjacent to the first antenna element. In a number ofembodiments, the first tuning conductor is adjacent to and spaced apartfrom the second antenna element and is operable to load the secondantenna element.

In several embodiments, the first switch is operable to ground the firsttuning conductor in a first state and to electrically float the firsttuning conductor in a second state.

In various embodiments, the first switch is a field-effect transistorswitch.

In a number of embodiments, the first antenna element is a patchantenna, a dipolar antenna, a ceramic resonator, a stamped metalantenna, or a laser direct structuring antenna.

In accordance with several embodiments, the first antenna elementincludes at least one fin. In various embodiments, the first tuningconductor includes at least one fin.

In some embodiments, the communication device further includes anantenna array including a plurality of antenna elements including thefirst antenna element. In accordance with a number of embodiments, theantenna array is operable to provide beamforming. According to severalembodiments, the antenna array is operable to provide multi-input andmultiple output communications.

In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a base stationfor a wireless network. The base station includes a first antennaelement, a first tuning conductor adjacent to and spaced apart from thefirst antenna element, the first tuning conductor operable to load thefirst antenna element, and a first switch electrically connected betweenthe first tuning conductor and a ground voltage. The first switch isoperable to selectively connect the first tuning conductor to the groundvoltage to provide tuning to the first antenna element.

In some embodiments, a state of the first switch is operable to tune abandwidth of the first antenna element.

In several embodiments, a state of the first switch is operable to steera direction of polarization of the first antenna element.

In a number of embodiments, the base station further includes asemiconductor die. In accordance with various embodiments, thesemiconductor die includes the first switch. According to certainembodiments, the semiconductor die controls a state of the first switch.In accordance with several embodiments, the semiconductor die includesan interface that receives switch data operable to select the state ofthe first switch.

In some embodiments, the base station further includes a plurality oftuning conductors including the first tuning conductor and a secondtuning conductor. In accordance with a number of embodiments, the firsttuning conductor is positioned along a first side of the first antennaelement and the second tuning conductor is positioned along a secondside of the first antenna element different from the first side andoperable to load the first antenna element. According to severalembodiments, the plurality of tuning conductors includes at least fourtuning conductors positioned along four or more different sides of thefirst antenna element and operable to load the first antenna element. Inaccordance with a number of embodiments, the base station furtherincludes a second antenna element, the second tuning conductor operableto load the second antenna element.

In various embodiments, the first antenna element includes a signal feedand a ground feed, the radio frequency module further including a groundswitch operable to selectively connect the ground feed to the groundvoltage.

In a number of embodiments, the base station further includes a frontend system and a transceiver electrically coupled to the first antennaelement via the front end system. In accordance with severalembodiments, the front end system further includes a power amplifierconfigured to provide a transmit radio frequency signal to the firstantenna element. According to various embodiments, the front end systemfurther includes a low noise amplifier configured to amplify a radiofrequency signal received from the first antenna element.

In some embodiments, the base station further includes a second antennaelement adjacent to the first antenna element. In a number ofembodiments, the first tuning conductor is adjacent to and spaced apartfrom the second antenna element and is operable to load the secondantenna element.

In several embodiments, the first switch is operable to ground the firsttuning conductor in a first state and to electrically float the firsttuning conductor in a second state.

In various embodiments, the first switch is a field-effect transistorswitch.

In a number of embodiments, the first antenna element is a patchantenna, a dipolar antenna, a ceramic resonator, a stamped metalantenna, or a laser direct structuring antenna.

In accordance with several embodiments, the first antenna elementincludes at least one fin. In various embodiments, the first tuningconductor includes at least one fin.

In some embodiments, the base station further includes an antenna arrayincluding a plurality of antenna elements including the first antennaelement. In accordance with a number of embodiments, the antenna arrayis operable to provide beamforming. According to several embodiments,the antenna array is operable to provide multi-input and multiple outputcommunications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described, by way ofnon-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one example of a communication network.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of one example of a downlink channelusing multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) communications.

FIG. 2B is schematic diagram of one example of an uplink channel usingMIMO communications.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of one example of a communication systemthat operates with beamforming.

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of one example of beamforming to providea transmit beam.

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of one example of beamforming to providea receive beam.

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a tunable antenna.

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a tunable antennaarray.

FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a tunableantenna array.

FIG. 5D is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a tunableantenna array.

FIG. 5E is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a tunableantenna array.

FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of a tunable patch antenna according toone embodiment.

FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram of a tunable patch antenna according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram of a tunable patch antenna according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 6D is a schematic diagram of a tunable patch antenna arrayaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 6E is a schematic diagram of a tunable patch antenna arrayaccording to another embodiment.

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of an RF module according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 7B is a cross-section of the RF module of FIG. 7A taken along theline 7B-7B.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of an RF module according to anotherembodiment.

FIG. 8B is a cross-section of the RF module of FIG. 8A taken along theline 8B-8B.

FIG. 9 is a cross-section of an RF module according to anotherembodiment.

FIGS. 10A-10C show graphs of antenna characteristics of an RF moduleaccording to one embodiment.

FIGS. 11A-11C show graphs of antenna characteristics of an RF moduleaccording to another embodiment.

FIGS. 12A-12E show graphs of antenna characteristics of an RF moduleaccording to another embodiment.

FIGS. 13A-13D show graphs of antenna characteristics of an RF moduleaccording to another embodiment.

FIGS. 14A-14D show graphs of antenna characteristics of an RF moduleaccording to another embodiment.

FIGS. 15A-15E show graphs of antenna characteristics of an RF moduleaccording to another embodiment.

FIGS. 16A-16E show graphs of antenna characteristics of an RF moduleaccording to another embodiment.

FIG. 17A is a plan view of an RF module according to another embodiment.

FIG. 17B is a perspective view of a tunable patch antenna according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 18A is a plan view of an RF module according to another embodiment.

FIG. 18B is a perspective view of a tunable patch antenna according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a graph of measured versus simulated dual resonance returnloss for one embodiment of an RF module.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a mobile device.

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a macro cell basestation.

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a small cell basestation.

FIG. 23A is a plan view of a base station board according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 23B is a cross section of the base station board of FIG. 23A takenalong the line 23B-23B.

FIG. 24A is a plan view of an array of modules for a base stationaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 24B is a cross section of one module of FIG. 24A taken along theline 24B-24B.

FIG. 25A is a plan view of a base station board according to anotherembodiment.

FIG. 25B is a cross section of the base station board of FIG. 25A takenalong the line 25B-25B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description of certain embodiments presentsvarious descriptions of specific embodiments. However, the innovationsdescribed herein can be embodied in a multitude of different ways, forexample, as defined and covered by the claims. In this description,reference is made to the drawings where like reference numerals canindicate identical or functionally similar elements. It will beunderstood that elements illustrated in the figures are not necessarilydrawn to scale. Moreover, it will be understood that certain embodimentscan include more elements than illustrated in a drawing and/or a subsetof the elements illustrated in a drawing. Further, some embodiments canincorporate any suitable combination of features from two or moredrawings.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agencyof the United Nations (UN) responsible for global issues concerninginformation and communication technologies, including the shared globaluse of radio spectrum.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration betweengroups of telecommunications standard bodies across the world, such asthe Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB), theTelecommunications Technology Committee (TTC), the China CommunicationsStandards Association (CCSA), the Alliance for TelecommunicationsIndustry Solutions (ATIS), the Telecommunications Technology Association(TTA), the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), andthe Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI).

Working within the scope of the ITU, 3GPP develops and maintainstechnical specifications for a variety of mobile communicationtechnologies, including, for example, second generation (2G) technology(for instance, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) andEnhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)), third generation (3G)technology (for instance, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS) and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA)), and fourth generation (4G)technology (for instance, Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced).

The technical specifications controlled by 3GPP can be expanded andrevised by specification releases, which can span multiple years andspecify a breadth of new features and evolutions.

In one example, 3GPP introduced carrier aggregation (CA) for LTE inRelease 10. Although initially introduced with two downlink carriers,3GPP expanded carrier aggregation in Release 14 to include up to fivedownlink carriers and up to three uplink carriers. Other examples of newfeatures and evolutions provided by 3GPP releases include, but are notlimited to, License Assisted Access (LAA), enhanced LAA (eLAA),Narrowband Internet-of-Things (NB-IOT), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), andHigh Power User Equipment (HPUE).

3GPP plans to introduce Phase 1 of fifth generation (5G) technology inRelease 15 (targeted for 2018) and Phase 2 of 5G technology in Release16 (targeted for 2019). Release 15 is anticipated to address 5Gcommunications at less than 6 GHz, while Release 16 is anticipated toaddress communications at 6 GHz and higher. Subsequent 3GPP releaseswill further evolve and expand 5G technology. 5G technology is alsoreferred to herein as 5G New Radio (NR).

Preliminary specifications for 5G NR support a variety of features, suchas communications over millimeter wave spectrum, beam formingcapability, high spectral efficiency waveforms, low latencycommunications, multiple radio numerology, and/or non-orthogonalmultiple access (NOMA). Although such RF functionalities offerflexibility to networks and enhance user data rates, supporting suchfeatures can pose a number of technical challenges.

The teachings herein are applicable to a wide variety of communicationsystems, including, but not limited to, communication systems usingadvanced cellular technologies, such as LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro,and/or 5G NR.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one example of a communication network10. The communication network 10 includes a macro cell base station 1, asmall cell base station 3, and various examples of user equipment (UE),including a first mobile device 2 a, a wireless-connected car 2 b, alaptop 2 c, a stationary wireless device 2 d, a wireless-connected train2 e, and a second mobile device 2 f.

Although specific examples of base stations and user equipment areillustrated in FIG. 1, a communication network can include base stationsand user equipment of a wide variety of types and/or numbers.

For instance, in the example shown, the communication network 10includes the macro cell base station 1 and the small cell base station3. The small cell base station 3 can operate with relatively lowerpower, shorter range, and/or with fewer concurrent users relative to themacro cell base station 1. The small cell base station 3 can also bereferred to as a femtocell, a picocell, or a microcell. Although thecommunication network 10 is illustrated as including two base stations,the communication network 10 can be implemented to include more or fewerbase stations and/or base stations of other types.

Although various examples of user equipment are shown, the teachingsherein are applicable to a wide variety of user equipment, including,but not limited to, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, IoT devices,wearable electronics, customer premises equipment (CPE),wireless-connected vehicles, wireless relays, and/or a wide variety ofother communication devices.

The illustrated communication network 10 of FIG. 1 supportscommunications using a variety of technologies, including, for example,4G LTE, 5G NR, and wireless local area network (WLAN), such as Wi-Fi.Although various examples of communication technologies have beenprovided, the communication network 10 can be adapted to support a widevariety of communication technologies.

Various communication links of the communication network 10 have beendepicted in FIG. 1. The communication links can be duplexed in a widevariety of ways, including, for example, using frequency-divisionduplexing (FDD) and/or time-division duplexing (TDD). FDD is a type ofradio frequency communications that uses different frequencies fortransmitting and receiving signals. FDD can provide a number ofadvantages, such as high data rates and low latency. In contrast, TDD isa type of radio frequency communications that uses about the samefrequency for transmitting and receiving signals, and in which transmitand receive communications are switched in time. TDD can provide anumber of advantages, such as efficient use of spectrum and variableallocation of throughput between transmit and receive directions.

In certain implementations, user equipment can communication with a basestation using one or more of 4G LTE, 5G NR, and Wi-Fi technologies. Incertain implementations, enhanced license assisted access (eLAA) is usedto aggregate one or more licensed frequency carriers (for instance,licensed 4G LTE and/or 5G NR frequencies), with one or more unlicensedcarriers (for instance, unlicensed Wi-Fi frequencies).

The communication links can operate over a wide variety of frequencies.In certain implementations, communications are supported using 5G NRtechnology over one or more frequency bands that are less than 6Gigahertz (GHz) and/or over one or more frequency bands that are greaterthan 6 GHz. In one embodiment, one or more of the mobile devices supporta HPUE power class specification.

In certain implementations, a base station and/or user equipmentcommunicates using beamforming. For example, beamforming can be used tofocus signal strength to overcome path losses, such as high lossassociated with communicating over high signal frequencies. In certainembodiments, user equipment, such as one or more mobile phones,communicate using beamforming on millimeter wave frequency bands in therange of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and/or upper centimeter wave frequencies inthe range of 6 GHz to 30 GHz, or more particularly, 24 GHz to 30 GHz.

Different users of the communication network 10 can share availablenetwork resources, such as available frequency spectrum, in a widevariety of ways.

In one example, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) is used todivide a frequency band into multiple frequency carriers. Additionally,one or more carriers are allocated to a particular user. Examples ofFDMA include, but are not limited to, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) andorthogonal FDMA (OFDMA). OFDM is a multicarrier technology thatsubdivides the available bandwidth into multiple mutually orthogonalnarrowband subcarriers, which can be separately assigned to differentusers.

Other examples of shared access include, but are not limited to, timedivision multiple access (TDMA) in which a user is allocated particulartime slots for using a frequency resource, code division multiple access(CDMA) in which a frequency resource is shared amongst different usersby assigning each user a unique code, space-divisional multiple access(SDMA) in which beamforming is used to provide shared access by spatialdivision, and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in which the powerdomain is used for multiple access. For example, NOMA can be used toserve multiple users at the same frequency, time, and/or code, but withdifferent power levels.

Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) refers to technology for growing systemcapacity of LTE networks. For example, eMBB can refer to communicationswith a peak data rate of at least 10 Gbps and a minimum of 100 Mbps foreach user. Ultra-reliable low latency communications (uRLLC) refers totechnology for communication with very low latency, for instance, lessthan 2 milliseconds. uRLLC can be used for mission-criticalcommunications such as for autonomous driving and/or remote surgeryapplications. Massive machine-type communications (mMTC) refers to lowcost and low data rate communications associated with wirelessconnections to everyday objects, such as those associated with Internetof Things (IoT) applications.

The communication network 10 of FIG. 1 can be used to support a widevariety of advanced communication features, including, but not limitedto, eMBB, uRLLC, and/or mMTC.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of one example of a downlink channelusing multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) communications. FIG. 2B isschematic diagram of one example of an uplink channel using MIMOcommunications.

MIMO communications use multiple antennas for simultaneouslycommunicating multiple data streams over common frequency spectrum. Incertain implementations, the data streams operate with differentreference signals to enhance data reception at the receiver. MIMOcommunications benefit from higher SNR, improved coding, and/or reducedsignal interference due to spatial multiplexing differences of the radioenvironment.

MIMO order refers to a number of separate data streams sent or received.For instance, MIMO order for downlink communications can be described bya number of transmit antennas of a base station and a number of receiveantennas for UE, such as a mobile device. For example, two-by-two (2×2)DL MIMO refers to MIMO downlink communications using two base stationantennas and two UE antennas. Additionally, four-by-four (4×4) DL MIMOrefers to MIMO downlink communications using four base station antennasand four UE antennas.

In the example shown in FIG. 2A, downlink MIMO communications areprovided by transmitting using M antennas 43 a, 43 b, 43 c, . . . 43 mof the base station 41 and receiving using N antennas 44 a, 44 b, 44 c,. . . 44 n of the mobile device 42. Accordingly, FIG. 2A illustrates anexample of M×N DL MIMO.

Likewise, MIMO order for uplink communications can be described by anumber of transmit antennas of UE, such as a mobile device, and a numberof receive antennas of a base station. For example, 2×2 UL MIMO refersto MIMO uplink communications using two UE antennas and two base stationantennas. Additionally, 4×4 UL MIMO refers to MIMO uplink communicationsusing four UE antennas and four base station antennas.

In the example shown in FIG. 2B, uplink MIMO communications are providedby transmitting using N antennas 44 a, 44 b, 44 c, . . . 44 n of themobile device 42 and receiving using M antennas 43 a, 43 b, 43 c, . . .43 m of the base station 41. Accordingly, FIG. 2B illustrates an exampleof N×M UL MIMO.

By increasing the level or order of MIMO, bandwidth of an uplink channeland/or a downlink channel can be increased.

MIMO communications are applicable to communication links of a varietyof types, such as FDD communication links and TDD communication links.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of one example of a communication system110 that operates with beamforming. The communication system 110includes a transceiver 105, signal conditioning circuits 104 a 1, 104 a2 . . . 104 an, 104 b 1, 104 b 2 . . . 104 bn, 104 m 1, 104 m 2 . . .104 mn, and an antenna array 102 that includes antenna elements 103 a 1,103 a 2 . . . 103 an, 103 b 1, 103 b 2 . . . 103 bn, 103 m 1, 103 m 2 .. . 103 mn.

Communications systems that communicate using millimeter wave carriers(for instance, 30 GHz to 300 GHz), centimeter wave carriers (forinstance, 3 GHz to 30 GHz), and/or other frequency carriers can employan antenna array to provide beam formation and directivity fortransmission and/or reception of signals.

For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the communication system 110includes an array 102 of m×n antenna elements, which are each controlledby a separate signal conditioning circuit, in this embodiment. Asindicated by the ellipses, the communication system 110 can beimplemented with any suitable number of antenna elements and signalconditioning circuits.

With respect to signal transmission, the signal conditioning circuitscan provide transmit signals to the antenna array 102 such that signalsradiated from the antenna elements combine using constructive anddestructive interference to generate an aggregate transmit signalexhibiting beam-like qualities with more signal strength propagating ina given direction away from the antenna array 102.

In the context of signal reception, the signal conditioning circuitsprocess the received signals (for instance, by separately controllingreceived signal phases) such that more signal energy is received whenthe signal is arriving at the antenna array 102 from a particulardirection. Accordingly, the communication system 110 also providesdirectivity for reception of signals.

The relative concentration of signal energy into a transmit beam or areceive beam can be enhanced by increasing the size of the array. Forexample, with more signal energy focused into a transmit beam, thesignal is able to propagate for a longer range while providingsufficient signal level for RF communications. For instance, a signalwith a large proportion of signal energy focused into the transmit beamcan exhibit high effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP).

In the illustrated embodiment, the transceiver 105 provides transmitsignals to the signal conditioning circuits and processes signalsreceived from the signal conditioning circuits. As shown in FIG. 3, thetransceiver 105 generates control signals for the signal conditioningcircuits. The control signals can be used for a variety of functions,such as controlling the phase of transmitted or received signals tocontrol beam forming.

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of one example of beamforming to providea transmit beam. FIG. 4A illustrates a portion of a communication systemincluding a first signal conditioning circuit 114 a, a second signalconditioning circuit 114 b, a first antenna element 113 a, and a secondantenna element 113 b.

Although illustrated as included two antenna elements and two signalconditioning circuits, a communication system can include additionalantenna elements and/or signal conditioning circuits. For example, FIG.4A illustrates one embodiment of a portion of the communication system110 of FIG. 3.

The first signal conditioning circuit 114 a includes a first phaseshifter 130 a, a first power amplifier 131 a, a first low noiseamplifier (LNA) 132 a, and switches for controlling selection of thepower amplifier 131 a or LNA 132 a. Additionally, the second signalconditioning circuit 114 b includes a second phase shifter 130 b, asecond power amplifier 131 b, a second LNA 132 b, and switches forcontrolling selection of the power amplifier 131 b or LNA 132 b.

Although one embodiment of signal conditioning circuits is shown, otherimplementations of signal conditioning circuits are possible. Forinstance, in one example, a signal conditioning circuit includes one ormore band filters, duplexers, and/or other components.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first antenna element 113 a and thesecond antenna element 113 b are separated by a distance d.Additionally, FIG. 4A has been annotated with an angle θ, which in thisexample has a value of about 90° when the transmit beam direction issubstantially perpendicular to a plane of the antenna array and a valueof about 0° when the transmit beam direction is substantially parallelto the plane of the antenna array.

By controlling the relative phase of the transmit signals provided tothe antenna elements 113 a, 113 b, a desired transmit beam angle θ canbe achieved. For example, when the first phase shifter 130 a has areference value of 0°, the second phase shifter 130 b can be controlledto provide a phase shift of about −2πf(d/v)cos θ radians, where f is thefundamental frequency of the transmit signal, d is the distance betweenthe antenna elements, v is the velocity of the radiated wave, and it isthe mathematic constant pi.

In certain implementations, the distance d is implemented to be about½λ, where λ is the wavelength of the fundamental component of thetransmit signal. In such implementations, the second phase shifter 130 bcan be controlled to provide a phase shift of about −π cos θ radians toachieve a transmit beam angle θ.

Accordingly, the relative phase of the phase shifters 130 a, 130 b canbe controlled to provide transmit beamforming. In certainimplementations, a transceiver (for example, the transceiver 105 of FIG.3) controls phase values of one or more phase shifters to controlbeamforming.

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of one example of beamforming to providea receive beam. FIG. 4B is similar to FIG. 4A, except that FIG. 4Billustrates beamforming in the context of a receive beam rather than atransmit beam.

As shown in FIG. 4B, a relative phase difference between the first phaseshifter 130 a and the second phase shifter 130 b can be selected toabout equal to −2πf(d/v)cos θ radians to achieve a desired receive beamangle θ. In implementations in which the distance d corresponds to about½λ, the phase difference can be selected to about equal to −π cos θradians to achieve a receive beam angle θ.

Although various equations for phase values to provide beamforming havebeen provided, other phase selection values are possible, such as phasevalues selected based on implementation of an antenna array,implementation of signal conditioning circuits, and/or a radioenvironment.

Moreover, in certain applications, it is desirable for an antenna systemto have a tunable bandwidth, thereby providing control over transmitand/or receive frequencies.

The communication networks and systems of FIGS. 1-4B illustrate exampleradio frequency electronics that can include a reconfigurable antennasystem implemented in accordance with the teachings herein. However, theteachings herein are applications to other configurations of radiofrequency electronics.

Examples of Frequency and Polarization Reconfigurable Antenna Systems

Apparatus and methods for reconfigurable antenna systems are providedherein. In certain configurations, an antenna system includes an antennaelement, a tuning conductor adjacent to and spaced apart from theantenna element, and a switch electrically connected between the tuningconductor and a reference voltage (for instance, a ground voltage). Thetuning conductor is operable to load the antenna element, and the switchselectively connects the tuning conductor to the reference voltage toprovide tuning to the antenna element.

By implementing the antenna system in this manner, antennacharacteristics of the antenna element can be controlled. For example,when the tuning conductor is connected to the reference voltage, thetuning conductor provides a secondary resonance that modifies theoperation of the antenna element relative to when the tuning conductoris disconnected from the reference voltage (for instance, electricallyfloating). Thus, selection of a state of the switch (selection of a lowimpedance state or a high impedance state) can control a bandwidthand/or a direction of polarization of the antenna element, therebyproviding frequency and/or polarization configurability.

In certain implementations, the antenna element includes a signal feedfor receiving a signal and a reference feed (for instance, a groundfeed) that is selectively connected to ground or another suitablereference voltage via a feed switch (for instance, a ground switch).Including the feed switch provides a further mechanism or knob to tuneantenna characteristics. For example, the state of the feed switch canbe used to modify the antenna element's operational characteristics byeither connecting the reference feed to the reference voltage ordisconnecting the reference feed from the reference voltage (forinstance, electrically floating the reference feed).

In certain implementations multiple switches and multiple tuningconductors are provided. In one example, an antenna element is tuned bytwo or more tuning conductors. In a second example, separate tuningconductors are provided for two or more antenna elements. In a thirdexample, a shared tuning conductor is used to tune two or more antennaelements.

The switch state of the antenna system can be changed over time, therebyreconfiguring the antenna system to provide desired performancecharacteristics at a given moment. For example, the state of the switchcan be controlled to provide an optimal or near-optimal radiationpattern for a given operating environment at a given time. Thus,seamless connectivity between a mobile communication device and a basestation can be provided as the mobile communication device movesrelative to the base station and/or as a signaling environment changes.In one example, the state of the switches is controlled to maintaincircular polarization of a mobile communication device on the move.

In certain implementations, the state of the switches is controlledbased on feedback parameters of a communication link. Thus, the switchstate can be controlled using a control loop, via a closed orsemi-closed system, to achieve appropriate antenna characteristics.

In one example, the antenna system can be included a mobilecommunication device that is communicating with a base station.Additionally, a receive strength signal indicator (RSSI), an error rateindicator, and/or other signal from the base station can be used tocontrol selection of the switch state of the mobile communicationdevice. In another example, the antenna system is included in a basestation (for example, a macro cell base station or a small cell basestation) that is communication with a mobile communication device.Additionally, an RSSI, an error rate indicator, and/or other signal fromthe mobile communication device can be used to control selection of theswitch state of the base station.

The antenna systems herein are suitable for transmitting and/orreceiving signals of a wide range of frequencies, for instance,frequencies in the range of about 500 MHz to 300 GHz, and moreparticular, 20 GHz to 100 GHz.

In certain embodiments, a tuning conductor has a length of less thanabout 1 mm, a width of less than about 0.3 mm, and is spaced apart froman antenna element by less than about 100 μm. However, other tuningconductor dimensions and spacings are possible. In various embodiments,an antenna element has a width of less than about 1.5 mm and a length ofless than about 1.5 mm. However, other antenna dimensions are possible.

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a tunable antenna160. The tunable antenna 160 includes an antenna element 151, a tuningconductor 156, and a switch 157. The tunable antenna 160 illustrates oneexample of an antenna system with tuning.

The tuning conductor 156 is adjacent to and spaced apart from theantenna element 156. Additionally, the tuning conductor 156 operates toload the antenna element 151, thereby impacting one or morecharacteristics of the antenna element 151. Although the tuningconductor 156 is illustrated as a rectangular strip of metal, the tuningconductor 156 can be shaped in other ways.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the switch 157 is electrically connected betweenthe tuning conductor 156 and a reference voltage (for example, a groundvoltage). Additionally, the switch 157 serves to selectively connect thetuning conductor 156 to the reference voltage so as to tune the antennaelement 151.

By implementing the tunable antenna 160 in this manner, antennacharacteristics of the antenna element 151 can be controlled. Forexample, when the tuning conductor 156 is connected to the referencevoltage, the tuning conductor 156 provides a secondary resonance thatmodifies the operation of the antenna element 151 relative to when thetuning conductor 156 is disconnected from the reference voltage (forinstance, electrically floating).

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a tunable antennaarray 170. The tunable antenna array 170 illustrates another example ofan antenna system with tuning. The embodiment of FIG. 5B is similar tothe embodiment of FIG. 5A, except that the tunable antenna array 170 ofFIG. 5B includes multiple antenna elements 151 a-151 d.

Although an example with four antenna elements are shown, the teachingsherein are applicable to a wide variety of antenna systems, includingconfigurations using more or fewer antenna elements.

The antenna elements 151 a-151 d can correspond to antenna elementsimplemented in a wide variety of ways. For instance, examples of antennaelements include, but are not limited to, patch antennas, dipoleantennas, ceramic resonators, stamped metal antennas, and/or laserdirect structuring antennas.

The tuning conductor 156 serves to load the antenna elements 151 a-151d. Thus, the state of the switch 157 can be controlled to tune thebandwidth of the antenna elements 151 a-151 d.

Although FIG. 5B illustrates an example in which a shared tuningconductor is used to tune two or more antenna elements, the teachingsherein are also applicable to implementations in which multipleswitch-controlled tuning conductors are provided for tuning one or moreantenna elements. In one example, an antenna element is tuned by two ormore tuning conductors. In a second example, separate tuning conductorsare provided for two or more antenna elements.

FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a tunableantenna array 171 with tuning. The tunable antenna array 171 includesantenna elements 151 a-151 i, which are an arranged in a three-by-three(3×3) array, in this embodiment. The tunable antenna array 171 furtherincludes tuning conductors 156 a-156 i and switches 157 a-157 i.

As shown in FIG. 5C, each antenna element 151 a-151 i is tuned by aswitched-controlled tuning conductor. For example, the antenna elements151 a-151 i are loaded by the tuning conductors 156 a-156 i,respectively. Furthermore, the switches 157 a-157 i individually controlconnection of the tuning conductors 156 a-156 i, respectively, to areference voltage (for instance, ground).

The tunable antenna array 171 illustrates another example of an antennasystem with tuning. Although an example with a 3×3 antenna array isshow, the teachings herein are applicable to antenna systems includingmore or fewer antenna elements. Moreover, antenna elements can bearrayed in other patterns or configurations, including, for instance,linear arrays and/or arrays using non-uniform arrangements of antennaelements. Furthermore, although an example with a one-to-onecorrespondence between switches and tuning conductors is shown, incertain implementations one switch controls two or more tuningconductors and/or one tuning conductor is controlled by two or moreswitches. Accordingly, other implementations are possible.

FIG. 5D is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a tunableantenna array 172. The tunable antenna array 172 includes antennaelements 151 a-151 i, which are an arranged in a 3×3 array, in thisembodiment. The tunable antenna array 172 further includes tuningconductors 156 a 1, 156 a 2, 156 b 1, 156 b 2, 156 c 1, 156 c 2, 156 d1, 156 d 2, 156 e 1, 156 e 2, 156 f 1, 156 f 2, 156 g 1, 156 g 2, 156 h1, 156 h 2, 156 i 1, 156 i 2. The tunable antenna array 172 furtherincludes switches 157 a 1, 157 a 2, 157 b 1, 157 b 2, 157 c 1, 157 c 2,157 d 1, 157 d 2, 157 e 1, 157 e 2, 157 f 1, 157 f 2, 157 g 1, 157 g 2,157 h 1, 157 h 2, 157 i 1, 157 i 2. As shown in FIG. 5D, each antennaelement 151 a-151 i is tuned by two switched-controlled tuningconductors positioned on a pair of opposite sides of each antennaelement.

The tunable antenna array 172 illustrates another example of an antennasystem with tuning. However, other implementations are possible.

FIG. 5E is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a tunableantenna array 173. The tunable antenna array 173 includes antennaelements 151 a-151 i, which are an arranged in a 3×3 array, in thisembodiment. Additionally, the tunable antenna array 173 further includesa first tuning conductor 156 a, a second tuning conductor 156 b, a firstswitch 157 a, and a second switch 157 b.

As shown in FIG. 5E, two switch-controlled tuning conductors arepositioned between rows of the array to provide tuning to the array. Inthis example, the first tuning conductor 157 a loads antenna elements151 a-151 f, and the second tuning conductor 157 b loads antennaelements 151 d-151 i.

The tunable antenna array 173 illustrates another example of an antennasystem with tuning. However, other implementations are possible.

FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of a tunable patch antenna 230 accordingto one embodiment. The tunable patch antenna 230 includes a patchantenna element 201, a first tuning conductor 211, a second tuningconductor 212, a third tuning conductor 213, a fourth tuning conductor214, a first transistor switch 221, a second transistor switch 222, athird transistor switch 223, and a fourth transistor switch 224.

Although FIG. 6A illustrates an implementation of a tunable patchantenna with one patch antenna element, four tuning conductors, and fourswitches, other configurations are possible. For example, a tunablepatch antenna can include other numbers of tuning conductors and/orswitches. Although an example with a patch antenna is shown, theteachings herein are applicable to implementations using a differentantenna type. Furthermore, the teachings herein are applicable toantenna systems including an array of antenna elements. Accordingly,other implementations are possible.

The patch antenna element 201 includes a signal feed 202 for receiving asignal and a ground feed 203 for receiving ground. In certainimplementations, the tunable patch antenna 230 further includes a groundswitch for selectively connecting the ground feed 203 to ground, therebyproviding an additional knob for controlling the antenna characteristicsof the tunable patch antenna 230.

The patch antenna element 201 can be used for transmitting and/orreceiving signals, depending on implementation. Accordingly, the patchantenna element 201 can serve as a transmit antenna, a receive antenna,or a transmit/receive antenna. In one example, the signal feed 202receives a transmit signal, such as a power amplifier output signal. Inanother example, the signal feed 202 is used to provide a receive signalto a low noise amplifier (LNA) or other receiver circuitry.

Although the illustrated patch antenna element 201 is substantiallyrectangular in shape, a patch antenna element can be shaped in a widevariety of ways.

The patch antenna element 201 and the tuning conductors 211-214 can beimplemented in a planar configuration. For example, the tunable patchantenna 230 can be implemented on a side of a substrate, such as alaminate. In various embodiments, the laminate is an organic laminateand/or is a laminate with four or fewer conductive layers. Thus, thepatch antenna element 201 and the tuning conductors 211-214 can beimplemented on a patterned conductive layer of a substrate.

In the illustrated embodiment, the tuning conductors 211-214 are spacedapart from the patch antenna element 201, and surround a boundary orperimeter of the patch antenna element 201. For example, the firsttuning conductor 211 is positioned adjacent a top side of the patchantenna element 201, the second tuning conductor 212 is positionedadjacent a right side of the patch antenna element 201, the third tuningconductor 213 is positioned adjacent a bottom side of the patch antennaelement 201, and the fourth tuning conductor 214 is positioned adjacenta left side of the patch antenna element 201. Although an exampleincluding four rectangular tuning conductors is shown, the teachingsherein are applicable to implementations including more or fewer tuningconductors and/or tuning conductors with different shapes, sizes, and/ororientations. Accordingly, other implementations are possible.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the transistor switches 221-224 individuallycontrol connection of the tuning conductors 221-224 to ground.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first transistor switch 221 iselectrically connected between the first tuning conductor 211 andground, and is controlled by a first control signal C1. Additionally,the second transistor switch 222 is electrically connected between thesecond tuning conductor 212 and ground, and is controlled by a secondcontrol signal C2. Furthermore, the third transistor switch 223 iselectrically connected between the third tuning conductor 213 andground, and is controlled by a third control signal C3. Additionally,the fourth transistor switch 224 is electrically connected between thefourth tuning conductor 214 and ground, and is controlled by a fourthcontrol signal C4.

Although an implementation using transistor switches is shown, otherimplementations of switches are possible, including, but not limited to,implementations using pin diode switches and/or microelectromechanicalswitches.

The control signals C1-C4 can be generated in a wide variety of ways. Inone example, a transceiver of a communications device generates thecontrol signals C1-C4, thereby controlling the state of the transistorswitches 221-224. In certain implementations, data stored in aprogrammable memory, such as a non-volatile memory, is used to controlthe switch state.

The control signals C1-C4 are used to selectively connect the transistorswitches 221-224, respectively, to ground, thereby changing the antennacharacteristics of the tunable patch antenna 230.

Accordingly, the tunable patch antenna 230 is reconfigurable bycontrolling the state of the transistor switches 221-224. By controllingthe tuning conductors 211-214 in this manner, antenna characteristicssuch as bandwidth and/or polarization can be controlled. For example,implementing the tunable patch antenna 230 in this manner can aid intuning frequency bandwidth and/or steering polarization in a particulardirection.

Additional detail of the tunable patch antenna 230 can be as describedearlier.

FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram of a tunable patch antenna 240 accordingto another embodiment. The tunable patch antenna 240 includes a patchantenna element 231, a first tuning conductor 211, a second tuningconductor 212, a third tuning conductor 213, a fourth tuning conductor214, a first transistor switch 221, a second transistor switch 222, athird transistor switch 223, and a fourth transistor switch 224.

The tunable patch antenna 240 of FIG. 6B is similar to the tunable patchantenna 230 of FIG. 6A, except that the tunable patch antenna 240includes a patch antenna element with a different shape. In particular,the patch antenna element 231 of FIG. 6B includes an octagonal shape.The teachings herein are applicable to patch antenna elementsimplemented with a variety of shapes and/or sizes, as well as to otherimplementations of antenna elements.

Additional details of the tunable patch antenna 240 can be as describedearlier.

FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram of a tunable patch antenna 270 accordingto another embodiment. The tunable patch antenna 270 includes a patchantenna element 201, a first tuning conductor 251, a second tuningconductor 252, a third tuning conductor 253, a fourth tuning conductor254, a fifth tuning conductor 255, a sixth tuning conductor 256, aseventh tuning conductor 257, an eighth tuning conductor 258, a firsttransistor switch 261, a second transistor switch 262, a thirdtransistor switch 263, a fourth transistor switch 264, a fifthtransistor switch 265, a sixth transistor switch 266, a seventhtransistor switch 267, and an eighth transistor switch 268.

The tunable patch antenna 270 of FIG. 6C is similar to the tunable patchantenna 230 of FIG. 6A, except that the tunable patch antenna 270includes a different implementation of tuning conductors surrounding theperimeter of the patch antenna element 201. For example, the illustratedtuning conductors 251-258 are positioned along the sides of the patchantenna element 201, with two tuning conductors per side. Additionally,the transistor switches 261-268 are controlled by the control signalsC1-C8, respectively, thereby controlling connection of the tuningconductors 251-258 to ground.

The teachings herein are applicable to a wide variety of tuningconductors surrounding an antenna element. For example, tuningconductors of different number, shape, size, and/or orientation can beincluded in an antenna system. Accordingly, other implementations arepossible.

Additional details of the tunable patch antenna 270 can be as describedearlier.

FIG. 6D is a schematic diagram of a tunable patch antenna array 280according to one embodiment. The tunable patch antenna array 280includes an array of tunable patch antennas 230 a-230 i, each of whichcan be implemented as described with respect to FIG. 6A. For clarity ofthe figures, switches for controlling the electrical potential of eachtuning conductor have not been illustrated.

Although a 3×3 array of tunable patch antennas is shown, more or fewerpatch antennas and/or different implementations of patch antennas can beincluded in an array. Furthermore, the teachings herein are applicableto tunable antenna systems using different antenna types.

Including multiple antennas in an array can provide a number ofadvantages. For example, an array of antennas can be operable to providemultiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) and/or beam formingcommunications.

Additional details of the tunable patch antenna array 280 can be asdescribed earlier.

FIG. 6E is a schematic diagram of a tunable patch antenna array 290according to another embodiment. The tunable patch antenna array 290includes an array of tunable patch antennas 240 a-240 i, each of whichcan be implemented as described with respect to FIG. 6B. For clarity ofthe figures, switches for controlling the electrical potential of eachtuning have not been illustrated.

Although a 3×3 array of tunable patch antennas is shown, more or fewerpatch antennas and/or different implementations of patch antennas can beincluded in an array. Furthermore, the teachings herein are applicableto tunable antenna systems using different types of antennas.

Additional details of the tunable patch antenna array 290 can be asdescribed earlier.

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of an RF module 600 according to anotherembodiment. FIG. 7B is a cross-section of the RF module 600 of FIG. 7A.The RF module 600 includes a laminated substrate or laminate 501, afirst tunable patch antenna 450 a, a second tunable patch antenna 450 b,and a semiconductor die or IC 510 (not visible in FIG. 7A).

Although not shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the RF module 600 can includeadditional structures and components that have been omitted from thefigures for clarity. Additionally, certain layers have been depictedtransparently so that certain components, such as vias, are visible.

The first tunable patch antenna 450 a includes a patch antenna element431 a, a signal feed 402 a, a ground feed 403 a, tuning conductors 411a, 412 a, 413 a, 414 a, vias 441 a, 442 a, 443 a, 444 a, 445 a, andswitches 517 (not visible in FIG. 7A). Additionally, the second tunablepatch antenna 450 b includes a patch antenna element 431 b, a signalfeed 402 b, a ground feed 403 b, tuning conductors 411 b, 412 b, 413 b,414 b, vias 441 b, 442 b, 443 b, 444 b, 445 b, and switches 518 (notvisible in FIG. 7A).

In certain implementations, the patch antenna element 431 a serves as areceive (RX) antenna that receives radio waves, and the patch antennaelement 431 b is implemented as a transmit (TX) antenna that transmitsradio waves. However, other implementations are possible.

With reference to FIGS. 7A-7B, the switches 517 of the first tunablepatch antenna 450 a are integrated on an internal layer of the laminate501, in this embodiment. Additionally, the switches 517 selectivelyprovide ground to the tuning conductors 411 a, 412 a, 413 a, and 414 aby way of the vias 441 a, 442 a, 443 a, and 444 a, respectively.Similarly, the switches 518 of the second tunable patch antenna 450 bare integrated internally in the laminate 501, and selectively provideground to the tuning conductors 411 b, 412 b, 413 b, and 414 b, by wayof the vias 441 b, 442 b, 443 b, and 444 b, respectively. Although fourof the switches are visible in the cross-section of FIG. 7B, anysuitable number of switches can be included. For example, the RF module600 can include a switch for each of the tuning conductors.

By including the switches 517, 518 internal to the laminate 501,conductive route lengths can be reduced, thereby enhancing performanceand alleviating routing congestion. However, other implementations arepossible.

For example, in another embodiment, switches are implemented as surfacemount components and/or on a semiconductor die, such as the IC 510 oranother die.

In the illustrated embodiment, the patch antenna elements and tuningconductors are on a first side of the laminate 501, and the IC 510 is ona second side of the laminate 501 opposite the first side. Although theIC 510 is on the second side of the laminate 501 in this embodiment,other implementations are possible. For example, in another embodimentthe IC 510 is embedded in an internal layer of the laminate 501.

In certain implementations, the IC 510 includes a transceiver, a frontend, and/or other circuitry of a communications device, and thus canserve as a radio of a communications device. Although an implementationwith one semiconductor chip is shown, the teachings herein areapplicable to RF modules with additional chips or without chips.

In certain implementations, the IC 510 generates control signals forcontrolling a state of the switches 517, 518. In one embodiment, the IC510 includes an interface, such as a Mobile Industry Processor Interface(MIPI) Radio Frequency Front End (RFFE) bus, an inter-integrated circuit(I²C) bus, and/or a general-purpose input/output (GPIO) bus thatreceives data for controlling the switch state.

As shown in FIG. 7B, a portion 630 of the laminate 501 is schematicallydepicted in further detail. The laminate portion 630 corresponds to aright-edge of the laminate 501. In the illustrated embodiment, thelaminate portion 630 includes a first conductive layer 521, a secondconductive layer 522, a third conductive layer 523, a fourth conductivelayer 524, a first solder mask 531, a second solder mask 532, a firstdielectric layer 541, a second dielectric layer 542, a third dielectriclayer 543, and vias 550.

Although an example with four conductive layers and three non-conductivelayers is shown, other numbers of layers can be used.

In certain implementations, patch antenna elements and tuning conductorsare patterned in the first conductive layer 521, and the secondconductive layer 522 serves as a ground plane to the patch antennaelements. However, other implementations are possible.

The laminate 501 can be implemented with layers of various thicknesses.In one specific example, the solder masks are each 20 μm thick, theconductive layers are each 15 μm thick, the first dielectric layer is300 μm thick, and the second and third dielectric layers are each 15 μmthick. Although one specific example of layer thicknesses has beenprovided, a laminate can be implemented in a wide variety of ways. Forexample, the number of, composition of, and/or thicknesses of laminatelayers can vary widely based on implementation and/or application.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of an RF module 700 according to anotherembodiment. FIG. 8B is a cross-section of the RF module 700 of FIG. 8Ataken along the line 8B-8B.

The RF module 700 includes a laminate 501, a first tunable antenna 750a, and a second tunable antenna 750 b. The first tunable antenna 750 aincludes a three-dimensional antenna element 731 a including fins 735 a,736 a protruding therefrom, and three-dimensional tuning conductors 711a, 712 a, 713 a, and 714 a including fins 745 a, 746 a, 747 a, and 748a, respectively. Additionally, the second tunable antenna 750 b includesa three-dimensional antenna element 731 b including fins 735 b, 736 bprotruding therefrom, and three-dimensional tuning conductors 711 b, 712b, 713 b, and 714 b including fins 745 b, 746 b, 747 b, and 748 b,respectively. Switches have been omitted from FIGS. 8A and 8B forclarity of the figures.

Although not shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the RF module 700 can includeadditional structures and components that have been omitted from thefigures for clarity. Additionally, certain layers have been depictedtransparently so that certain components, such as vias, are visible.

The RF module 700 illustrates one implementation using three-dimensionalantenna elements and three-dimensional tuning conductors. The teachingsherein are applicable to antenna elements and tuning conductorsimplemented in a wide variety of ways.

In the illustrated embodiment, a signal feed 702 a is implemented as acenter conductor that is capacitively coupled to the three-dimensionalantenna element 731 a to thereby feed the three-dimensional antennaelement 731 a. Additionally, a slot has been included in thethree-dimensional antenna element 731 a adjacent to the signal feed 702a. Similarly, a signal feed 702 b is implemented as a center conductorthat is capacitively coupled to the three-dimensional antenna element731 b. The slots in the antenna elements aid in controlling inputimpedance looking into the antenna elements from the signal feeds.

FIG. 9 is a cross-section of an RF module 770 according to anotherembodiment. The RF module 770 includes a laminate 501, encapsulation ormolding 755 formed over a first side of the laminate 501, an antennaelement 751 formed over the encapsulation 755 on the first side of thelaminate 510, and tuning conductors 761, 762 formed over theencapsulation 755 on the first side of the laminate 510.

As shown in FIG. 9, electrical connections 765 are included in theencapsulation 755 to connect the antenna element 751 and tuningconductors 761, 762 to conductors of the laminate 501.

The RF module 770 illustrates another example of an RF module inaccordance with the teachings herein.

FIGS. 10A-10C show graphs of antenna characteristics of an RF moduleaccording to one embodiment. The graphs correspond to antennacharacteristics of one implementation of the RF module 600 of FIGS.7A-7B, in which all tuning conductors are grounded. Although specificsimulation results are shown, results can vary based on a wide varietyof factors, such as antenna implementation and simulation model.Accordingly, other results are possible.

FIG. 10A is a graph of dual resonance return loss (S11 and S22), plottedfor both the tunable patch antenna 450 a and the tunable patch antenna450 b for the implementation described above.

FIG. 10B is a graph of axial ratio of the tunable patch antenna 450 afor different angle sweeps for the implementation described above. Thegraph of axial rotation includes plots for different value of an angle θand an angle ϕ, corresponding to angles of a spherical coordinatesystem. For example, θ corresponds to polar angle with respect to az-axis and ϕ to an azimuthal angle, where the antenna element resides inthe x-y plane.

An antenna's axial ratio can be an important performance specification.For example, a tunable patch antenna can be specified to operate with anaxial ratio of below about 3 dB, which aids in ensuring that bothantenna polarizations are at the antenna's beam width. The plotsindicate that both antenna polarizations coincide with one another,which indicates that signal communication can be performed with bothpolarizations.

FIG. 10C is a graph of gain of the tunable patch antenna 450 a versusfrequency for the implementation described above.

FIGS. 11A-11C show graphs of antenna characteristics of an RF moduleaccording to another embodiment. The graphs correspond to antennacharacteristics of one implementation of the RF module 600 of FIGS.7A-7B, in which the ground feed 403 a is electrically floating, and inwhich the ground feed 403 b and tuning conductors 411 a, 411 b, 412 a,412 b, 413 a, 413 b, 414 a, and 414 b are grounded. Although specificsimulation results are shown, results can vary based on a wide varietyof factors, such as antenna implementation and simulation model.Accordingly, other results are possible.

FIG. 11A is a graph of dual resonance return loss (S11 and S22), plottedfor both tunable patch antenna 450 a and tunable patch antenna 450 b forthe implementation described above.

FIG. 11B is a graph of axial ratio of the tunable patch antenna 450 afor different angle sweeps for the implementation described above. Theplots indicate that the antennas provide an excellent radiation patternin the 61 GHz to 68 GHz range. Additionally, by comparing FIG. 10B andFIG. 11B, it can be seen that decoupling the ground feed of the patchantenna changes the radiation pattern.

FIG. 11C is a graph of gain of the tunable patch antenna 450 a versusfrequency for the implementation described above.

FIGS. 12A-12E show graphs of antenna characteristics of an RF moduleaccording to another embodiment. The graphs correspond to antennacharacteristics of one implementation of the RF module 600 of FIGS.7A-7B, in which the fourth tuning conductor 414 a of the tunable patchantenna 450 a is electrically floating, and in which the ground feeds403 a, 403 b and tuning conductors 411 a, 411 b, 412 a, 412 b, 413 a,413 b, and 414 b are grounded. Although specific simulation results areshown, results can vary based on a wide variety of factors, such asantenna implementation and simulation model. Accordingly, other resultsare possible.

FIG. 12A is a graph of radiation patterns for two polarizations of thefirst tunable patch antenna 450 a for the implementation describedabove. An overlap of the two plots of the graph indicates that thepolarizations exhibit a desired correlation.

FIG. 12B is a graph of radiation patterns for two polarizations of thefirst tunable patch antenna 450 a (depicted at bottom), and for thesecond tunable patch antenna 450 b (depicted at top) for theimplementation described above.

FIG. 12C is a graph of dual resonance return loss (S11 and S22), plottedfor both the tunable patch antenna 450 a and the tunable patch antenna450 b for the implementation described above.

FIG. 12D is a graph of axial ratio of the tunable patch antenna 450 afor different angle sweeps for the implementation described above.

FIG. 12E is a graph of gain of the tunable patch antenna 450 a versusfrequency for the implementation described above.

FIGS. 13A-13D show graphs of antenna characteristics of an RF moduleaccording to another embodiment. The graphs correspond to antennacharacteristics of one implementation of the RF module 600 of FIGS.7A-7B, in which the second tuning conductor 412 a of the tunable patchantenna 450 a is electrically floating, and in which the ground feeds403 a, 403 b and tuning conductors 411 a, 411 b, 412 b, 413 a, 413 b,414 a, and 414 b are grounded. Although specific simulation results areshown, results can vary based on a wide variety of factors, such asantenna implementation and simulation model. Accordingly, other resultsare possible.

FIG. 13A is a graph of radiation patterns for two polarizations of thefirst tunable patch antenna 450 a for the implementation describedabove. An overlap of the two plots of the graph indicates that thepolarizations exhibit a desired correlation.

FIG. 13B is a graph of dual resonance return loss (S11 and S22), plottedfor both the tunable patch antenna 450 a and the tunable patch antenna450 b for the implementation described above.

FIG. 13C is a graph of axial ratio of the tunable patch antenna 450 afor different angle sweeps for the implementation described above.

FIG. 13D is a graph of gain of the tunable patch antenna 450 a versusfrequency for the implementation described above.

FIGS. 14A-14D show graphs of antenna characteristics of an RF moduleaccording to another embodiment. The graphs correspond to antennacharacteristics of one implementation of the RF module 600 of FIGS.7A-7B, in which the first tuning conductor 411 a and third tuningconductor 413 a of the tunable patch antenna 450 a are electricallyfloating, and in which the ground feeds 403 a, 403 b and tuningconductors 411 b, 412 a, 412 b, 413 b, 414 a, and 414 b are grounded.Although specific simulation results are shown, results can vary basedon a wide variety of factors, such as antenna implementation andsimulation model. Accordingly, other results are possible.

FIG. 14A is a graph of radiation patterns for two polarizations of thetunable patch antenna 450 a for the implementation described above. Anoverlap of the two plots of the graph indicates that the polarizationsexhibit a desired correlation.

FIG. 14B is a graph of dual resonance return loss (S11 and S22), plottedfor both the tunable patch antenna 450 a and the tunable patch antenna450 b for the implementation described above.

FIG. 14C is a graph of axial ratio of the tunable patch antenna 450 afor different angle sweeps for the implementation described above.

FIG. 14D is a graph of gain of the tunable patch antenna 450 a versusfrequency for the implementation described above.

FIGS. 15A-15E show graphs of antenna characteristics of an RF moduleaccording to another embodiment. The graphs correspond to antennacharacteristics of one implementation of the RF module 600 of FIGS.7A-7B, in which the tuning conductors 411 a, 412 a, 413 a of the tunablepatch antenna 450 a are omitted. The ground feeds 403 a, 403 b andtuning conductors 411 b, 412 b, 413 b, 414 a, and 414 b are grounded.Although specific simulation results are shown, results can vary basedon a wide variety of factors, such as antenna implementation andsimulation model. Accordingly, other results are possible.

FIG. 15A is a graph of dual resonance return loss (S11 and S22), plottedfor both the tunable patch antenna 450 a and the tunable patch antenna450 b for the implementation described above.

FIG. 15B is a graph of gain of the tunable patch antenna 450 a versusfrequency for the implementation described above.

FIG. 15C is a graph of axial ratio of the tunable patch antenna 450 afor different angle sweeps for the implementation described above.

FIG. 15D is a graph of gain of the tunable patch antenna 450 b versusfrequency for the implementation described above.

FIG. 15E is a graph of axial ratio of the tunable patch antenna 450 bfor different angle sweeps for the implementation described above.

FIGS. 16A-16E show graphs of antenna characteristics of an RF moduleaccording to another embodiment. The graphs correspond to antennacharacteristics of one implementation of the RF module 600 of FIGS.7A-7B, in which the tuning conductors 411 a, 412 a, 413 a, and 414 a ofthe tunable patch antenna 450 a are omitted. The ground feeds 403 a, 403b and tuning conductors 411 b, 412 b, 413 b, and 414 b are grounded.Although specific simulation results are shown, results can vary basedon a wide variety of factors, such as antenna implementation andsimulation model. Accordingly, other results are possible.

FIG. 16A is a graph of dual resonance return loss (S11 and S22), plottedfor both the tunable patch antenna 450 a and the tunable patch antenna450 b for the implementation described above.

FIG. 16B is a graph of gain of the tunable patch antenna 450 a versusfrequency for the implementation described above.

FIG. 16C is a graph of axial ratio of the tunable patch antenna 450 afor different angle sweeps for the implementation described above.

FIG. 16D is a graph of gain of the tunable patch antenna 450 b versusfrequency for the implementation described above.

FIG. 16E is a graph of axial ratio of the tunable patch antenna 450 bfor different angle sweeps for the implementation described above.

FIG. 17A is a plan view of an RF module 900 according to anotherembodiment. The RF module 900 includes a laminate 901, a first tunablepatch antenna 950 a, and a second tunable patch antenna 950 b. The firsttunable patch antenna 950 a includes a patch antenna element 931 a, asignal feed 902 a, a ground feed 903 a, and tuning conductors 911 a, 912a, 913 a, 914 a. Additionally, the second tunable patch antenna 950 bincludes a patch antenna element 931 b, a signal feed 902 b, a groundfeed 903 b, and tuning conductors 911 b, 912 b, 913 b, 914 b. Vias andswitches are not visible in FIG. 17A.

FIG. 17B is a perspective view of a tunable patch antenna 950 aaccording to another embodiment. The tunable patch antenna 950 a of FIG.17B corresponds to one implementation of a tunable patch antennasuitable for inclusion in an RF module, such as the RF module 900 ofFIG. 17A. The tunable patch antenna 950 a includes a patch antennaelement 931 a, a signal feed 902 a, a ground feed 903 a, tuningconductors 911 a, 912 a, 913 a, 914 a, and vias 941 a, 942 a, 943 a, 944a, 945 a, 946 a. Additionally the tunable patch antenna 950 a includesswitches, which are not visible in FIG. 17B.

Although not shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, the RF module 900 can includeadditional structures and components that have been omitted from thefigures for clarity. Additionally, certain layers have been depictedtransparently so that certain components, such as vias, are visible.

As shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, the patch antenna elements 931 a, 931 binclude a capacitive signal feed. For example, as shown in FIG. 17B, thesignal feed 902 a is implemented as a center conductor that iscapacitively coupled to the patch antenna element 901 a to thereby feedthe patch antenna element 901 a. Thus, the signal feed 902 a does notphysically touch the patch antenna element 901 a, in this embodiment.Implementing a patch antenna element in this manner can aid in providingfine-tuned control over desired antenna characteristics.

FIG. 18A is a plan view of an RF module 970 according to anotherembodiment. The RF module 970 includes a laminate 901, a first tunablepatch antenna 960 a, and a second tunable patch antenna 960 b. The firsttunable patch antenna 960 a is similar to the first tunable patchantenna 950 a of FIG. 17A, except that the first tunable patch antenna960 a of FIG. 18A includes a patch antenna element 951 a including aslot 952 a. Likewise, the second tunable patch antenna 960 b is similarto the first tunable patch antenna 950 b of FIG. 17A, except that thesecond tunable patch antenna 960 b of FIG. 18A includes a patch antennaelement 951 b including a slot 952 b.

FIG. 18B is a perspective view of a tunable patch antenna 960 aaccording to another embodiment. The tunable patch antenna 960 a of FIG.18B corresponds to one implementation of a tunable patch antennasuitable for inclusion in an RF module, such as the RF module 970 ofFIG. 18A. The tunable patch antenna 960 a of FIG. 18B is similar to thefirst tunable patch antenna 950 a of FIG. 18A, except that the firsttunable patch antenna 960 a of FIG. 18A includes a patch antenna element951 a including a slot 952 a.

Including a slot in a patch antenna element aids in controlling an inputimpedance into the patch antenna element from the signal feed.

Any of the antenna elements herein can include a capacitive signal feedand/or a slot.

FIG. 19 is a graph of measured versus simulated dual resonance returnloss for one embodiment of an RF module. The simulations are taken usingHigh Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS). As shown in FIG. 19, measuredversus simulated results are relatively close.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a mobile device 800.The mobile device 800 includes a baseband system 801, a sub millimeterwave (mmW) transceiver 802, a sub mmW front end system 803, sub mmWantennas 804, a power management system 805, a memory 806, a userinterface 807, a mmW baseband (BB)/intermediate frequency (IF)transceiver 812, a mmW front end system 813, and mmW antennas 814.

The mobile device 800 of FIG. 20 illustrates one example of a mobiledevice that can include a reconfigurable antenna system with groundtuning. However, the teachings herein are applicable to otherimplementations of mobile devices and RF electronics.

The mobile device 800 can be used communicate using a wide variety ofcommunications technologies, including, but not limited to, 2G, 3G, 4G(including LTE, LTE-Advanced, and LTE-Advanced Pro), 5G NR, WLAN (forinstance, Wi-Fi), WPAN (for instance, Bluetooth and ZigBee), WMAN (forinstance, WiMax), and/or GPS technologies.

In the illustrated embodiment, the sub mmW transceiver 802, sub mmWfront end system 803, and sub mmW antennas 804 serve to transmit andreceive centimeter waves and other radio frequency signals belowmillimeter wave frequencies. Additionally, the mmW BB/IF transceiver812, mmW front end system 813, and mmW antennas 814 serve to transmitand receive millimeter waves. Although one specific example is shown,other implementations are possible, including, but not limited to,mobile devices operating using circuitry operating over differentfrequency ranges and wavelengths.

The sub mmW transceiver 802 generates RF signals for transmission andprocesses incoming RF signals received from the sub mmW antennas 804. Itwill be understood that various functionalities associated with thetransmission and receiving of RF signals can be achieved by one or morecomponents that are collectively represented in FIG. 20 as the sub mmWtransceiver 802. In one example, separate components (for instance,separate circuits or dies) can be provided for handling certain types ofRF signals.

The sub mmW front end system 803 aids is conditioning signalstransmitted to and/or received from the antennas 804. In the illustratedembodiment, the front end system 803 includes power amplifiers (PAs)821, low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 822, filters 823, switches 824, andduplexers 825. However, other implementations are possible.

For example, the sub mmW front end system 803 can provide a number offunctionalizes, including, but not limited to, amplifying signals fortransmission, amplifying received signals, filtering signals, switchingbetween different bands, switching between different power modes,switching between transmission and receiving modes, duplexing ofsignals, multiplexing of signals (for instance, diplexing ortriplexing), or some combination thereof.

In certain implementations, the mobile device 800 supports carrieraggregation, thereby providing flexibility to increase peak data rates.Carrier aggregation can be used for both Frequency Division Duplexing(FDD) and Time Division Duplexing (TDD), and may be used to aggregate aplurality of carriers or channels. Carrier aggregation includescontiguous aggregation, in which contiguous carriers within the sameoperating frequency band are aggregated. Carrier aggregation can also benon-contiguous, and can include carriers separated in frequency within acommon band or in different bands.

The sub mmW antennas 804 can include antennas used for a wide variety oftypes of communications. For example, the sub mmW antennas 804 caninclude antennas for transmitting and/or receiving signals associatedwith a wide variety of frequencies and communications standards.

The mmW BB/IF transceiver 812 generates millimeter wave signals fortransmission and processes incoming millimeter wave signals receivedfrom the mmW antennas 814. It will be understood that variousfunctionalities associated with the transmission and receiving of RFsignals can be achieved by one or more components that are collectivelyrepresented in FIG. 20 as the mmW transceiver 812. The mmW BB/IFtransceiver 812 can operate at baseband or intermediate frequency, basedon implementation.

The mmW front end system 813 aids is conditioning signals transmitted toand/or received from the mmW antennas 814. In the illustratedembodiment, the front end system 803 includes power amplifiers 831, lownoise amplifiers 832, switches 833, up converters 834, down converters835, and phase shifters 836. However, other implementations arepossible. In one example, the mobile device 800 operates with a BB mmWtransceiver, and up converters and downconverters are omitted from themmW front end system. In another example, the mmW front end systemfurther includes filters for filtering millimeter wave signals.

The mmW antennas 814 can include antennas used for a wide variety oftypes of communications. The mmW antennas 814 can include antennaelements implemented in a wide variety of ways, and in certainconfigurations the antenna elements are arranged to form one or moreantenna arrays. Examples of antenna elements for millimeter wave antennaarrays include, but are not limited to, patch antennas, dipole antennaelements, ceramic resonators, stamped metal antennas, and/or laserdirect structuring antennas.

In certain implementations, the mobile device 800 supports MIMOcommunications and/or switched diversity communications. For example,MIMO communications use multiple antennas for communicating multipledata streams over a single radio frequency channel. MIMO communicationsbenefit from higher signal to noise ratio, improved coding, and/orreduced signal interference due to spatial multiplexing differences ofthe radio environment. Switched diversity refers to communications inwhich a particular antenna is selected for operation at a particulartime. For example, a switch can be used to select a particular antennafrom a group of antennas based on a variety of factors, such as anobserved bit error rate and/or a signal strength indicator.

In certain implementations, the mobile device 800 operates withbeamforming. For example, the mmW front end system 803 includes phaseshifters having variable phase controlled by the transceiver 802.Additionally, the phase shifters are controlled to provide beamformation and directivity for transmission and/or reception of signalsusing the mmW antennas 814. For example, in the context of signaltransmission, the phases of the transmit signals provided to an antennaarray used for transmission are controlled such that radiated signalscombine using constructive and destructive interference to generate anaggregate transmit signal exhibiting beam-like qualities with moresignal strength propagating in a given direction. In the context ofsignal reception, the phases are controlled such that more signal energyis received when the signal is arriving to the antenna array from aparticular direction.

The baseband system 801 is coupled to the user interface 807 tofacilitate processing of various user input and output (I/O), such asvoice and data. The baseband system 801 provides the sub mmW and mmWtransceivers with digital representations of transmit signals, which areprocessed by the transceivers to generate RF signals for transmission.The baseband system 801 also processes digital representations ofreceived signals provided by the transceivers. As shown in FIG. 20, thebaseband system 801 is coupled to the memory 806 of facilitate operationof the mobile device 800.

The memory 806 can be used for a wide variety of purposes, such asstoring data and/or instructions to facilitate the operation of themobile device 800 and/or to provide storage of user information.

The power management system 805 provides a number of power managementfunctions of the mobile device 800. In certain implementations, thepower management system 805 includes a PA supply control circuit thatcontrols the supply voltages of the power amplifiers of the front endsystems. For example, the power management system 805 can be configuredto change the supply voltage(s) provided to one or more of the poweramplifiers to improve efficiency, such as power added efficiency (PAE).

In certain implementations, the power management system 805 receives abattery voltage from a battery. The battery can be any suitable batteryfor use in the mobile device 800, including, for example, a lithium-ionbattery.

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a macro cell basestation 2000. The macro cell base station 2000 includes a tower 2002,antenna structures 2006, and an electronics housing 2004.

The macro cell base station 2000 of FIG. 21 illustrates one example of abase station that can include a reconfigurable antenna system withground tuning. For example, any of the antenna structures 2006 caninclude one or more tunable antenna systems implemented in accordancewith teachings herein. However, the teachings herein are applicable toother implementations of base stations and RF electronics.

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a small cell basestation 2020. The small cell base station 2020 includes an antenna andelectronics housing 2021, which has been attached to a pole 2022, inthis example.

The small cell base station 2020 of FIG. 22 illustrates another exampleof a base station that can include a reconfigurable antenna system withground tuning. For example, the antenna and electronics housing 2021 canhouse one or more tunable antenna systems implemented in accordance withteachings herein. However, the teachings herein are applicable to otherimplementations of base stations and RF electronics.

FIG. 23A is a plan view of a base station board 2040 according to oneembodiment. FIG. 23B is a cross section of the base station board 2040of FIG. 23A taken along the line 23B-23B. The base station board 2040can be implemented in the macro cell base station 2000 of FIG. 21, thesmall cell base station 2020 of FIG. 22, and/or other suitable basestation.

The base station board 2040 includes a circuit board 2050, antennaelements 2051 a, 2051 b, 2051 c, 2051 d, tuning conductors 2056 a, 2056b, 2056 c, 2056 d, and semiconductor dies 2057 a, 2057 b. In theillustrated embodiment, the tuning conductors and antenna elements are afirst side of the circuit board 2050, and the semiconductor dies are ona second side of the circuit board 2050 opposite the first side. Incertain implementations, the semiconductor dies 2057 a, 2057 b includeswitches for controlling the electrical potential of the tuningconductors. Although one example of component placement is shown,antenna element(s), tuning conductor(s), and/or semiconductor die(s) canbe placed in a wide variety of locations.

Although an example with four antenna elements, four tuning conductors,and two semiconductor dies is shown, more or fewer antenna elements,tuning conductors, and/or semiconductor dies can be included. Forexample, any of the antenna systems disclosed herein can be implementedon a base station board.

FIG. 24A is a plan view of an array of modules 2070 for a base stationaccording to one embodiment. The array of modules 2070 includes a firstmodule 2061 a, a second module 2061 b, a third module 2061 c, and afourth module 2061 d which are fixed in position relative to one anotherby a support 2062. Each module includes an antenna element, a tuningconductor, and a semiconductor die, in this embodiment.

FIG. 24B is a cross section of the first module 2061 a of FIG. 24A takenalong the line 24B-24B. As shown in FIG. 24B, the first module 2061 aincludes a tuning conductor 2056 a, an antenna element 2051 a, and an IC2057 a. In the illustrated embodiment, the tuning conductor 2056 a andthe antenna element 2051 a are on a first side of the module'ssubstrate, and the IC 2057 a is on a second side of the substrateopposite the first side.

The array of modules 2070 can be implemented in the macro cell basestation 2000 of FIG. 21, the small cell base station 2020 of FIG. 22,and/or other suitable base station. Although an example with fourmodules is shown, more or fewer modules and/or modules of differentimplementations can be used. For example, any of the antenna systemsdisclosed herein can be arrayed as modules in a base station.

FIG. 25A is a plan view of a base station board 2080 according toanother embodiment. FIG. 25B is a cross section of the base stationboard 2080 of FIG. 25A taken along the line 25B-25B.

The base station board 2080 of FIGS. 25A-25B is similar to the basestation board 2040 of FIGS. 23A-23B, except the base station board 2080includes daughter boards 2071 a, 2071 b extending perpendicular to thecircuit board 2050. In this embodiment, each daughter board includes anIC, which can include switches for controlling the electrical potentialof tuning conductors. Any number of daughter boards and ICs can beincluded, for instance, one daughter board per antenna.

Although FIGS. 23A-25B illustrate various examples of tunable antennasystems for base stations, other implementations are possible.

CONCLUSION

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of“including, but not limited to.” The word “coupled”, as generally usedherein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directlyconnected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements.Additionally, the word “connected”, as generally used herein, refers totwo or more elements that may be either directly connected, or connectedby way of one or more intermediate elements. Additionally, the words“herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used inthis application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not toany particular portions of this application. Where the context permits,words in the above Detailed Description using the singular or pluralnumber may also include the plural or singular number respectively. Theword “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word coversall of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items inthe list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the itemsin the list.

Moreover, conditional language used herein, such as, among others,“can,” “could,” “might,” “can,” “e.g.,” “for example,” “such as” and thelike, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or withoutauthor input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/orstates are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the invention is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, theinvention are described above for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention,as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, whileprocesses or blocks are presented in a given order, alternativeembodiments may perform routines having steps, or employ systems havingblocks, in a different order, and some processes or blocks may bedeleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified. Each ofthese processes or blocks may be implemented in a variety of differentways. Also, while processes or blocks are at times shown as beingperformed in series, these processes or blocks may instead be performedin parallel, or may be performed at different times.

The teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to othersystems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements andacts of the various embodiments described above can be combined toprovide further embodiments.

While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, theseembodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are notintended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel methodsand systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of otherforms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in theform of the methods and systems described herein may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the disclosure. The accompanying claims andtheir equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications aswould fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A radio frequency module comprising: a modulesubstrate; an antenna array formed on the module substrate and includinga first patch antenna and a second patch antenna; a first tuningconductor positioned between the first patch antenna and the secondpatch antenna; and a semiconductor die attached to the module substrateand including a first transistor switch operable to control anelectrical potential of the first tuning conductor to provide tuning tothe antenna array.
 2. The radio frequency module of claim 1 wherein thefirst patch antenna includes a signal feed and a ground feed, thesemiconductor die further including a ground transistor switchelectrically connected between the ground feed and a ground voltage. 3.The radio frequency module of claim 2 wherein the first patch antennafurther includes a patch antenna element configured to radiate a radiowave, the signal feed capacitively coupled to the patch antenna element.4. The radio frequency module of claim 3 wherein the patch antennaelement further includes a slot configured to provide input impedancematching to the signal feed.
 5. The radio frequency module of claim 1wherein the first transistor switch is electrically connected betweenthe first tuning conductor and a ground voltage.
 6. The radio frequencymodule of claim 1 further comprising a second tuning conductorpositioned on a side of the second patch antenna opposite the firsttuning conductor, the semiconductor die further including a secondtransistor switch operable to control an electrical potential of thesecond tuning conductor.
 7. The radio frequency module of claim 6wherein the antenna array further includes a third patch antenna, thesecond tuning conductor positioned between the second patch antenna andthe third patch antenna.
 8. The radio frequency module of claim 1wherein a state of the first transistor switch is operable to control abandwidth of the antenna array.
 9. The radio frequency module of claim 1wherein a state of the first transistor switch is operable to control adirection of polarization of the antenna array.
 10. The radio frequencymodule of claim 1 wherein the antenna array is configured to operate ina frequency range of 20 gigahertz to 100 gigahertz.
 11. The radiofrequency module of claim 1 wherein the first patch antenna and thesecond patch antenna each has an octagonal shape.
 12. The radiofrequency module of claim 1 wherein the antenna array is formed on afirst side of the module substrate, and the semiconductor die is formedon a second side of the module substrate opposite the first side.
 13. Amobile device: a transceiver configured to generate a plurality of radiofrequency transmit signals and to receive a plurality of radio frequencyreceive signals; and a front end system including a radio frequencymodule coupled to the transceiver, the radio frequency module includinga module substrate, an antenna array formed on the module substrate andincluding a first patch antenna and a second patch antenna, a firsttuning conductor positioned between the first patch antenna and thesecond patch antenna, and a semiconductor die attached to the modulesubstrate and including a first transistor switch operable to control anelectrical potential of the first tuning conductor to provide tuning tothe antenna array.
 14. The mobile device of claim 13 wherein the firstpatch antenna includes a signal feed and a ground feed, thesemiconductor die further including a ground transistor switchelectrically connected between the ground feed and a ground voltage. 15.The mobile device of claim 13 further comprising a second tuningconductor positioned on a side of the second patch antenna opposite thefirst tuning conductor, the semiconductor die further including a secondtransistor switch operable to control an electrical potential of thesecond tuning conductor.
 16. A front end system comprising: a pluralityof power amplifiers; and a radio frequency module configured to receivea plurality of radio frequency signals from the plurality of poweramplifiers, the radio frequency module including a module substrate, anantenna array formed on the module substrate and including a first patchantenna and a second patch antenna, a first tuning conductor positionedbetween the first patch antenna and the second patch antenna, and asemiconductor die attached to the module substrate and including a firsttransistor switch operable to control an electrical potential of thefirst tuning conductor to provide tuning to the antenna array.
 17. Thefront end system of claim 16 further comprising a plurality of phaseshifters each connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of poweramplifiers.
 18. The front end system of claim 16 wherein the first patchantenna includes a signal feed and a ground feed, the semiconductor diefurther including a ground transistor switch electrically connectedbetween the ground feed and a ground voltage.
 19. The front end systemof claim 16 wherein the first transistor switch is electricallyconnected between the first tuning conductor and a ground voltage. 20.The front end system of claim 16 further comprising a second tuningconductor positioned on a side of the second patch antenna opposite thefirst tuning conductor, the semiconductor die further including a secondtransistor switch operable to control an electrical potential of thesecond tuning conductor.